The next generation of wireless networks, such as fourth generation (4G) networks, will likely use OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) in the reverse link or uplink from the mobile device to the base station. In OFDMA, the reverse link resources assigned to a user are called tiles. Each tile generally consists of a subset of subcarriers, which may either be consecutive or spread out over an entire bandwidth. Because OFDMA sectors assign, at most, one user to each of tile, reverse link transmissions within any given sector are typically orthogonal. However, these reverse link transmissions may be affected by intercell interference. This interference typically results from users in adjacent sectors that may have also been assigned to the same tile. If those users in the adjacent sectors transmit using high power then the intercell interference may severely limit the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) achieved by the user. Therefore, user transmission powers are typically managed carefully, in order to avoid excessive intercell interference.
In the reverse link of an OFDMA network, the transmission power of access terminals (ATs) is generally selected large enough to provide the desired transmission rate but not too high to significantly degrade transmissions in neighboring sectors because of the intercell interference caused to those transmissions. For example, there is a specific user (referred to as the “concerned user”) in a specific sector (referred to as the “concerned sector”) transmitting over a specific tile. The paradox of intercell interference occurs along the following sequence of events:                The transmission power of the concerned user is increased since a higher rate is needed;        The interference on adjacent sectors increases;        Users in adjacent sectors increase their power to counteract the increased interference and maintain their rates;        The increased power of users in the adjacent sectors results in an increase in the interference in the concerned sector; and        The concerned user must increase power again to counteract this increased interference in order to maintain the higher rate.        
The above sequence of events may repeat until the concerned user reaches its maximum transmission power. Because the concerned user reaches its maximum power, maximum interference on neighboring sectors may also be achieved, which then causes neighboring users to reach their maximum transmission power; thus, maximizing interference in the system.
Solutions have been addressed for down or forward link transmissions in code division multiple access (CDMA) networks. However, the OFDMA case has some significant differences to the CDMA, (a) there is no intracell interference (interference between subcarriers is negligible); (b) soft combining is not possible (because each sector independently schedules its reverse link users) and, therefore, there are no macrodiversity gains; and (c) the power spectral density for an AT transmission can be high if few tiles are allocated to it (and, thus, the intercell interference it causes may significantly degrade transmissions in adjacent sectors).
Each of the current solutions suggested to solve the intercell interference problem in downlink transmissions uses global knowledge of the entire system. It would be logical to assume that these downlink solutions could also be analogized to solve the uplink problem as well. However, such algorithms use global knowledge, which means that either all information is collected at some central entity that computes the solution and informs each sector of this solution or global information is collected by each sector which then determines the optimal solution. Regardless of which method is used to manage global, system-wide information, there would need to be a significant amount of information exchanged across the entire network. Furthermore, the delay in collecting this information may mean that the computed solution is no longer optimal for a constantly changing communication environment.